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The personality structure consists of: Personality and its psychological structure

Scientists have long sought to find in the content behind the concept of “personality” the main aspects of analysis, some components, “blocks”, orientation towards which would help in understanding a specific person. Of course, these aspects can only be abstractions that coarse reality, but without such coarsening there is no knowledge. This is the problem of personality structure. In fact, we already touched on it when we talked about the personality structure proposed by S. Freud. It can be assumed that a hint of the structure of personality is contained in the question we have just considered about the relationship between the concepts of “individual”, “personality”, “individuality”.

In Russian psychology there are some special solutions to this problem, which we will partially present here.

S. L. Rubinstein determined the study of the “mental appearance” of a person by three questions: 1. What does a person want, what is attractive to him, what does he strive for? This is a question about his direction, about his attitudes and tendencies, needs, interests and ideals. 2. What can a person do? This is a question about his abilities and gifts. 3. What is a person? This is the question of “what of his tendencies and attitudes entered his flesh and blood and became entrenched as the core characteristics of his personality. This is a question about a person’s character.”2

Can this diagram help in thinking about a specific person? Certainly. Unconstructive ways of self-affirmation of a certain person, which significantly complicate his life, can come from internal conflict between his striving for big life goals (direction) and the lack of the habit of working on developing the corresponding abilities. And the very absence of this habit can rightfully be attributed to character.

In the context of specifying the relationship between social and biological factors in the development of personality, one can turn to the solution to the problem of personality structure proposed by K. K. Platonov. There are four personality substructures here.
1. Substructure of personality orientation, including worldview, beliefs, interests, desires, and drives. In the forms of orientation, both relationships and moral qualities personality.
2. The substructure of experience, which manifests itself in knowledge, skills, and abilities. It can also be called a preparedness substructure. It is through this substructure individual development personality accumulates the historical experience of mankind.
3. Individual characteristics of individual mental processes or mental functions. Here we can point out the fact that some people think quickly, but perhaps somewhat superficially, others - slowly, but they are more focused on comprehending the essence of phenomena. Similar features are found in other mental processes.
4. Biologically determined substructure. It includes properties associated with gender, age, type of nervous system, and organic changes.

When moving from the fourth substructure to the first, the importance of the biological conditionality of personality traits decreases and the importance of their social determination increases. It is important that biologically determined properties are included in the structure of personality. This fact does not agree with the above statement by A. N. Leontyev about personality as a “special quality” of purely social origin. In his opinion, a person “takes into account” his innate properties and uses them in organizing his activity. As for the personality structure, it is “a relatively stable configuration of the main, internally hierarchized motivational lines,” which is derived from the hierarchy of relevant activities that form the basis of the personality.

Against the background of these judgments, let us present another solution to the question of personality structure. In this case, three hierarchical levels in the functioning of the personality are distinguished: “Firstly, this is the core of the personality, which is a set of motivational structures that set the direction of the “movement” of the personality... Secondly, this is the periphery of the personality, which determines the specific way of implementing the motivational core . The periphery of the personality consists personal meanings, traits, systems of constructs, social roles in which the subject is included, his personal history. At this level of discussion it is possible to conduct a typology of personality. Thirdly, this is the level of individual prerequisites for the existence of a person, which are essentially impersonal. Individual prerequisites (for example: gender, age, structure and properties of the nervous system, the nature of neurohumoral regulation, etc.) in themselves are not informative in relation to the individual, but they determine the characteristics of the individual’s interaction with the world and with himself.” It turns out that the motivational sphere is the core of personality, but the structure of personality is not exhausted by it.

Let's consider another interesting solution to the problem of personality structure, which has practical significance. Three components of this structure are highlighted by A.V. Petrovsky.

The first is the intra-individual (or intra-individual) substructure. This is the organization of a person’s individuality, represented by the structure of temperament, character, and abilities.

At the same time, personality cannot be considered as something located only in the closed space of the individual’s body. It finds itself in the sphere of inter-individual relations, in the space of interpersonal interactions. Hence the second substructure of personality - interindividual.

The third substructure is meta-individual (or supra-individual). In this case, the focus is on the “contributions” that a person makes through his activity in other people. Thus, the personality is not only taken beyond the organic body of the individual, not only moves beyond the boundaries of his existing, “here and now” existing connections with other people, but also continues himself in other people. This ideal representation of personality in other people due to the “contributions” made to them is called personalization. Apparently, such “contributions” largely determine the scale of the individual.

Thus, we have considered a number of solutions to the question of personality structure. They differ significantly from each other due to the extreme complexity of the object of knowledge, as well as the versatility of approaches to it on the part of researchers. However, together they help to understand the content behind the concept of “personality”.

In most of the most diverse psychological definitions, personality appears as a “totality”, “sum”, “system”, “organization”, etc., i.e. as a certain unity of certain elements, as a certain structure. And in foreign psychology the most different directions, and in our country we can find many specific developments of personality structures (3. Freud, K.G. Jung, G. Allport, K.K. Platonov, B.C. Merlin, etc.). At the same time, understanding the problem of personality structure from a general theoretical perspective and subsequent taking into account the most important points when constructing one’s own concept is not so common. Examples of such developments are the personality structures created by K.K. Platonov, G. Eysenck.

Platonov, having analyzed the philosophical and psychological understanding of structure, defines it as the interaction of a really existing mental phenomenon, taken as a whole (in particular, personality), and its substructures, elements and their comprehensive connections. To describe the structure of personality, according to Platonov, it is necessary to establish what is taken as a whole, to delimit and define it. Then we need to find out what constitutes the elements of this integrity, understanding by them the parts that are indecomposable within the framework of a given system and relatively autonomous. Moreover, it is necessary to take into account the fullest possible number of these elements. At the next stage, the most significant and general connections between elements, between each of them and integrity. Next, the necessary and sufficient number of substructures is identified into which all the elements of the analyzed integrity will fit. Substructures and elements are classified. It is then important to examine the genetic hierarchy of component levels.

The result of this structural analysis the dynamic, functional structure of K.K.’s personality appeared. Platonov. It consists of four adjacent substructures: 1) substructure of personality orientation and relationships; 2) knowledge, skills, abilities, habits, i.e. experience; 3) individual characteristics of individual mental processes; 4) typological, age, gender properties of the individual, i.e. biopsychic. Platonov also identifies substructures of character and abilities, as superimposed on four main substructures.

The ideas of S.L. were important for the development of the problem of personality structure in Russian psychology. Rubinstein and V.N. Myasishchev, although specific structures were created by their followers.

A.G. Kovalev identifies the following components of the personality structure: orientation (system of needs, interests, ideals), abilities (ensemble of intellectual, volitional and emotional properties), character (synthesis of relationships and modes of behavior), temperament (system of natural properties). B.C. Merlin created the theory of integral individuality, he describes two groups of individual characteristics. The first group - “properties of the individual” - includes two substructures: temperament and individual qualitative characteristics of mental processes. The second group - “individuality properties” - has three substructures: 1) motives and relationships; 2) character; 3) abilities. All substructures of the personality are interconnected thanks to the mediating link - activity.

B.G. Ananyev used the broader category of “person,” which included the entire range of private categories, such as individual, personality, individuality, subject of activity. He proposed the general structure of man. Each of the elements of this structure has its own substructure. Thus, the structure of a person as an individual has two levels, and it includes age-sex properties, individual-typical (constitutional, neurodynamic features, etc.), psychophysiological functions, organic needs, inclinations, and temperament. The personality itself is organized no less complexly: status, roles, value orientations are the primary class of personal properties; motivation of behavior, structure of social behavior, consciousness, etc. - secondary personality traits.

In foreign concepts of personality, a lot of attention is also paid to the problem of structure. One of the most famous is the personality structure of 3. Freud. In the concept of K.G. Jung, in which personality, just like Freud, appears as a system, the following important substructures are identified: Ego, personal unconscious and its complexes, collective unconscious and its archetypes, persona, anima, animus and shadow. Within the framework of depth psychology, G. Murray, W. Reich and others also addressed the problem of personality structure.

A large group of foreign researchers considers traits as structural units of personality. G. Allport was one of the first to work in this direction. His theory of personality is called “trait theory.” Allport identifies the following types of traits: personality traits (or common features) and personal dispositions (individual traits). Both are neuropsychic structures that transform many stimuli and determine many equivalent responses. But personality traits include any characteristics inherent in a certain number of people within a given culture, and personal dispositions are those characteristics of an individual that do not allow comparison with other people, making a person unique. Allport focused special attention on the study of personal dispositions. They, in turn, are divided into three types: cardinal, central and secondary. The cardinal disposition is the most general; it determines almost all human actions. According to Allport, this disposition is relatively unusual and not seen in many people. Central dispositions are the striking characteristics of personality, its building blocks, and they can be easily detected by others. The number of central dispositions on the basis of which a person can be accurately recognized is small - from five to ten. The secondary disposition is more limited in its manifestation, less stable, less generalized. All personality traits are in certain relationships, but are relatively independent of each other. Personality traits exist in reality, and are not just a theoretical invention; they are the driving (motivating) element of behavior. According to Allport, personality traits are united into a single whole by a specific construct, the so-called proprium.

Trait is a basic category in R. Cattell’s personality theory. In his opinion, to obtain knowledge about a person, three main sources can be used: registration data of real life facts (L-data), self-assessment data when

filling out questionnaires (Q-data) and objective test data (OT-data). Cattell and his collaborators spent several decades conducting large-scale surveys of representatives of several age groups in different countries. These data were subjected to factor analysis in order to identify underlying factors that determine or control variation in surface variables. The results of this survey were the consideration of personality as a complex and differentiated structure of traits. A trait is a hypothetical mental structure that is found in behavior and determines the predisposition to act consistently in different settings and over time. Traits can be classified in several ways. Central is the distinction between surface features and underlying features. A superficial trait is a series of behavioral characteristics of a person that accompany each other (in medicine this is called a syndrome). They do not have a single basis and are unstable. More important are the initial features. These are some combined quantities or factors. They are the ones who determine the constancy of a person’s behavior and are the “building blocks of the personality.” According to the results of Cattell's factor analysis, there are 16 initial traits. To measure them, the “16 Personality Factors” (16 PF) questionnaire is used. These factors are: responsiveness - aloofness, intelligence, emotional stability - instability, dominance - subordination, prudence - carelessness, etc.

The original traits can, in turn, be divided into two types depending on their origin: traits reflecting hereditary characteristics - constitutional traits; resulting from social and physical conditions environment - features formed environment. Initial features can be distinguished in terms of the modality through which they are expressed. Trait-abilities are related to the effectiveness of achieving a desired goal; temperament traits - with emotionality, speed, energy of reactions; dynamic traits reflect the motivational sphere of the individual. Dynamic traits are divided into three groups: attitudes, ergs and feelings. Cattell considers the complex interactions of these substructures, special meaning at the same time, he gives the “dominant feeling” - feeling.

In G. Eysenck's theory, personality is also presented in the form of a hierarchically organized structure of traits. At the most general level, Eysenck identifies three types or supertraits: extraversion - introversion, neuroticism - stability, psychoticism - superego strength. At the next level, traits are surface reflections of the underlying type. For example, extraversion is based on such traits as sociability, liveliness, perseverance, activity, and the desire to succeed. Below are the usual reactions; At the bottom of the hierarchy are specific reactions or actually observed behavior. For each of the supertraits, Eysenck establishes a neurophysiological basis. The severity of a particular supertrait can be assessed using specially designed questionnaires, the most famous in our country is “ Personality questionnaire Eysenck."

Just like G. Eysenck, J.P. Guilford viewed personality as a hierarchical structure of traits and was one of the first to study it using factor analysis. In personality, he distinguishes the sphere of abilities, the sphere of temperament, the hormic sphere, and the class of pathology parameters. In the sphere of temperament, for example, ten traits are factorially identified: general activity, dominance, sociability, emotional stability, objectivity, tendency to think, etc.

Described classical studies the structures of personality traits served as a model and stimulus for subsequent numerous works on the empirical reproduction of one or another factor model or on the development of new grounds for a factorial description of personality without a serious analysis of their relationships in the holistic concept of personality.

1) According to J. Mead, the structure of a formed personality consists of two components: “I am myself” (an object of self-awareness, self-understanding) and “I am me” - reflection on the assessments of others and society as a whole;

2) C. Cooley (the concept of the mirror “I”) believed that personality is a product of social interactions – interactions. A person’s ideas about himself (and this, according to Cooley, is the structure of personality) are formed in the process of interaction with other people. A person gets to know himself by imagining what others think about him, i.e. in interactions, as if reflected in other people’s ideas about him, as in mirrors, he creates his own mirror “I”, which consists of three elements:

The idea that others see me;

The idea of how others evaluate me;

The sense of “I” as a response to the presentation and evaluation of me.

3) According to S. Freud, a person is always in conflict with society and his biological impulses contradict social norms. It is in the constant struggle with natural instincts and social control that a personality structure is formed, which consists of three components:

Id (“It”) – the unconscious, the energy of instincts (two basic instincts – Eros (instinct for the continuation of life, sexual energy) and the death instinct – Thanatos). The basic principle of the existence of the Id is “I want.” When the id is released, internal tension is eased and satisfaction arises.

Ego (“I”) – consciousness, acts according to the principle “I can”. Individualizes a person's actions. It develops as the individual’s self-awareness grows.

The superego (super-ego) is a component of the personality that has developed under the influence of social control, cultural norms and prohibitions. The main principle is “It is necessary”.

According to the concept of K.K. Platonov, there are 4 levels of personality structure (biological and social).

1. The lowest level of personality is a biologically determined substructure, which includes age, gender properties of the psyche, innate properties such as the nervous system and temperament.

2. The next substructure includes the individual characteristics of a person’s mental processes, i.e. individual manifestations of memory, perception, sensations, thinking, abilities, depending both on congenital factors and on training, development, and improvement of these qualities.

3. The next level of personality - individual social experience, which includes the knowledge, skills, abilities and habits acquired by a person. This substructure is formed primarily during the learning process and is of a social nature.

4. The highest level of personality is its focus, including drives, desires, interests, inclinations, ideals, views, beliefs of a person, his worldview, character traits, self-esteem. The substructure of personality orientation is the most socially conditioned, formed under the influence of upbringing in society, and most fully reflects the ideology of the community in which the person is included.

The differences between people are significant: in each of the substructures there are differences in beliefs and interests, experience and knowledge, abilities and skills, temperament and character. That is why it is not easy to understand another person, it is not easy to avoid discrepancies, contradictions, even conflicts with other people. To understand yourself and others more deeply, you need certain psychological knowledge combined with observation.

The outstanding Russian psychologist S. L. Rubinstein distinguished in personality orientation, abilities, temperament, character, and self-awareness.

A. N. Leontiev believed that personality is the social essence of a person, and therefore the temperament, character, abilities and knowledge of a person are not part of the personality as its substructures, they are only the conditions for the formation of this formation, social in its essence. Direction and will belong to the individual, because a volitional act cannot be considered outside the hierarchy of motives, and direction is a direct expression of motivational structures, that is, the core of personality.

Personality orientation is a set of stable motives, views, beliefs, needs and aspirations that orient a person towards certain behavior and activities, and the achievement of relatively complex life goals.

Orientation is always socially conditioned and formed in ontogenesis in the process of training and upbringing, acts as a personality trait, manifested in ideological, professional orientation, in activities related to personal hobbies, doing something in free time from the main activity (for example, fine arts, physical exercise, fishing, sports, etc.).

Focus- these are attitudes that have become personality traits.

The focus includes several related forms, which we will briefly describe:

attraction- the most primitive biological form of orientation;

wish- conscious need and attraction to something specific;

pursuit- occurs when a volitional component is included in the structure of desire;

interest- cognitive form of focus on objects;

inclination- occurs when a volitional component is included in interest;

ideal- there is an objective goal of inclination specified in an image or representation;

worldview- a system of ethical, aesthetic, philosophical, natural science and other views on the world around us;

belief- the highest form of orientation is a system of individual motives that encourages her to act in accordance with her views, principles, and worldview.

9 installation- the individual’s readiness for a certain activity, which is actualized in the current situation. It manifests itself in a stable predisposition to a certain perception, comprehension and behavior of an individual. An attitude expresses a person’s position, his views, value orientations in relation to various facts of everyday life, public life And professional activity. It can be positive, negative or neutral. With a positive attitude, phenomena, events and properties of objects are perceived favorably and with trust. When negative, these same signs are perceived distortedly, with distrust, or as alien, harmful and unacceptable for a given person.

The attitude mediates the influence of external influences and balances the personality with the environment, and its knowledge of the content of these influences allows one to predict behavior in appropriate situations with a certain degree of reliability;

10 position - sustainable system a person’s relationship to certain aspects of reality, manifested in corresponding behavior. It includes a set of motives, needs, views and attitudes that guide an individual in his actions. The system of factors that determine a person’s specific position also includes his claims to a certain position in the social and professional hierarchy of roles and the degree of his satisfaction in this system of relations;

11. target- the desired and imagined result of a specific activity of a person or group of people. It can be close, situational or distant, socially valuable or harmful, altruistic or selfish. An individual or a group of people sets a goal based on needs, interests and opportunities to achieve it.

In goal setting, an important role is played by information about the state of the issue, thought processes, emotional state and motives for the proposed activity. Goal fulfillment consists of a system of actions aimed at achieving the intended result. Orientation is formed in ontogenesis, in the process of training and education of young people, in preparing them for life, professional and socially useful activities, and service to their Motherland. It is important here that the younger generation learns that their personal and family well-being, achievements in various fields of activity and social status are interconnected with their readiness to serve their people and the state in which they live. There are three main types of personality orientation: personal, collectivistic and business.

Personal focus– is created by the predominance of motives for one’s own well-being, the desire for personal primacy and prestige. Such a person is most often busy with himself, with his feelings and experiences and reacts little to the needs of the people around him: he ignores the interests of employees or the work he must do. He sees work, first of all, as an opportunity to satisfy his own aspirations, regardless of the interests of other employees.

Focus on mutual action– occurs when a person’s actions are determined by the need for communication, the desire to maintain good relationships with colleagues at work and study. Such a person shows interest in joint activities, although he may not contribute to the successful completion of the task; often his actions even make it difficult to complete the group task and his actual assistance may be minimal.

Business orientation– reflects the predominance of motives generated by the activity itself, passion for the process of activity, a selfless desire for knowledge, mastering new skills and abilities. Typically, such a person strives for cooperation and achieves the greatest productivity of the group, and therefore tries to prove a point of view that he considers useful for completing the task.

It has been established that individuals with a self-directed personality have the following character traits:

– more preoccupied with themselves and their feelings, problems

– make unfounded and hasty conclusions and assumptions about other people, also behave in discussions

– trying to impose their will on the group

– those around them do not feel free in their presence

People with a focus on mutual action:

- avoid direct solution to the problem

– yield to group pressure

– do not express original ideas and it is not easy to understand what such a person wants to express

– do not take leadership when it comes to choosing tasks

Business-oriented people:

– help individual group members express their thoughts

– support the group to achieve its goal

– express their thoughts and considerations easily and clearly

– take the lead when it comes to choosing a task

– do not shy away from directly solving the problem.

A person’s abilities determine his success in various activities.

CAPABILITIES- individual psychological characteristics that distinguish one person from another, determining the success of an activity or a series of activities, irreducible to knowledge, skills and abilities, but determining the ease and speed of learning new methods and techniques of activity.

Makings of– primary, natural (biological) characteristics with which a person is born and which mature in the process of his development. These are mainly congenital anatomical and physiological features of the structure of the body, motor system, sensory organs, neurodynamic properties of the brain, features of functional asymmetry cerebral hemispheres and etc.

It is the uniqueness of individual characteristics that acts as natural inclinations. Inclinations do not contain abilities and do not guarantee their development. They may or may not turn into abilities, depending on the person’s upbringing and activities. In the absence of proper upbringing and activity, even large inclinations will not become abilities, but with appropriate upbringing and activity, even small inclinations can develop abilities of a sufficiently high level.

Inclinations are primarily manifested in aptitudes for a certain type of activity (special abilities) or in increased curiosity about everything (general ability).

Tendencies- This is the first and earliest sign of an emerging ability. The tendency is manifested in the desire, attraction of a child (or adult) to a certain activity (drawing, playing music).

Temperament - these are those innate human characteristics that determine the dynamic characteristics of the intensity and speed of reaction, the degree of emotional excitability and balance, and the characteristics of adaptation to the environment.

B.M. Teplov gives the following definition of temperament: “ Temperament is called a set of mental characteristics characteristic of a given person associated with emotional excitability, i.e. the speed of the emergence of feelings, on the one hand, and their strength, on the other.” Thus, temperament has two components - activity and emotionality. The most significant properties of temperament included the following:

Emotional excitability. This property was understood as the ability to respond to very weak external and internal influences.

Excitability of attention– this property of temperament determines the adaptive functions of the individual’s psyche. It consists in the ability to notice an extremely small change in the intensity of the influencing stimulus.

The Power of Emotions. Main function of this property Teplov saw the “energization of activity” depending on the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of motives. (Modern psychologists call this property the intensity and modality of emotional manifestations.)

Anxiety. By anxiety Teplov understood emotional excitability in a threatening situation. Moreover, he fundamentally separated anxiety and emotional excitability under normal conditions. One of the reasons for this opinion is that emotional excitability does not depend on the strength of the stimulus, and anxiety, on the contrary, is directly dependent on it.

Reactivity of involuntary movements. The function of this property is to increase the intensity of adaptive reactions to situations and stimuli that are directly acting at the moment.

The activity of volitional purposefulness of activity. This property, according to Teplov, manifests itself in increasing the activity of adaptation by transforming the situation in accordance with the goal.

Plasticity - rigidity. The function of this property is to adapt to the changing requirements of activity.

Resistance. This property lies in the ability to resist all internal and external conditions that weaken or inhibit the started activity.

Subjectivization. Teplov saw the function of this property in increasing the degree of mediation of activity by subjective images and concepts.

The properties of temperament include individual characteristics that

1. adjust the dynamics mental activity generally;

2. characterize the dynamics of individual mental processes;

3. have a stable and permanent nature and remain in development over a long period of time;

4. are in a strictly natural relationship, characterizing the type of temperament;

5. uniquely determined general type nervous system.

The properties of nervous processes identified by Pavlov can form certain combinations that determine the so-called type of nervous system, or the type of higher nervous activity.

The power of nervous processes- this is the ability of nerve cells to tolerate strong excitation and prolonged inhibition, i.e. endurance and performance of nerve cells. The strength of the nervous process is expressed in the appropriate reaction to strong stimuli: strong stimuli cause strong processes of excitation in a strong nervous system, and weak processes of excitation and inhibition in a weak nervous system.

Equilibrium assumes a proportional relationship between these nervous processes. The predominance of excitation processes over inhibition is expressed in the speed of formation of conditioned reflexes and their slow extinction. The predominance of inhibition processes over excitation is determined by the slow formation of conditioned reflexes and the speed of their extinction.

Mobility of nervous processes- this is the ability of the nervous system to quickly, in response to the demands of environmental conditions, replace the process of excitation with the process of inhibition and vice versa.

The types of nervous system identified by Pavlov, not only in quantity, but also in basic characteristics, correspond to the four classical types of temperament:

Sanguine– strong, balanced, mobile type.

Phlegmatic person– strong, balanced, sedentary (inert) type.

Choleric– strong, but unbalanced, with inhibitory processes weak compared to excitation.

Melancholic– weak processes of excitation and inhibition (weak type).

Character is the general ways of interaction of an individual with the environment acquired in specific social conditions, which constitute the type of his life activity. The unique character of each person is determined by his orientation (stable motivational sphere of the individual) and the characteristics of the activity - volitional qualities.

Character is an individual-typological combination value orientations and regulatory characteristics of personality. There are different character traits and character types. Character traits are expressed in certain general characteristics of behavior, and character type is expressed in general ways of interacting with the environment. Diverse character traits are combined into the following groups.

1. Strong-willed character traits- stable individual-typological features of conscious, conceptually mediated regulation of activity and behavior. These include: focus, independence, determination, perseverance, etc.

2. Emotional Traits- stable individual-typological features of direct, spontaneous regulation of behavior.

3. Intellectual character traits- stable individual-typological characteristics of mental abilities.

Personality theory is a set of hypotheses or assumptions about the nature and mechanisms of personality development. Personality theory attempts not only to explain, but also to predict human behavior.

In modern psychology there are 7 Basic Approaches to Personality Study . Each approach has its own theory, its own ideas about the properties and structure of personality, and its own methods for measuring them.

1. Psychodynamic(classical psychoanalysis).

Each person has an individuality that distinguishes him from other people. Individual character traits of a person are a way of thinking, experiencing and acting that is unique to him. If a person’s pattern of behavior is striking in its dissimilarity and consistency, he is usually said to be a strong personality.

The study of personality examines the following three question:

1. The essence of the concept of personality;

2. Correlation of concepts – “person”, “individual”, “personality”;

3. Personality structure.

Personality is a person who has his characteristic consciousness, thinking and behavior.

The concept of “personality” comes from the Latin persona– role, mask, position, face.

In ancient theater, a “mask” was a mask that an actor put on his face. Variants of it can now be seen on the pediments of theater buildings and theater posters. The mask was characteristic - “hero”, “villain”, “unfortunate”, “lover” and others. She indicated the role that the actor played in the performance.

Personality in psychology – systemic social quality of a person, the main integral characteristic of his inner world. This is a measure of human development as a bearer of consciousness, intelligence, culture, morality, protector and creator of human values. In these hypostases, each person appears as a member of a civilized society, a certain social group, as a citizen and creator. However, different people these characteristics are individualized.

Many psychologists share internal properties of a person into those that are personal and those that are not.

In number related to personal usually include: relatively stable acquired or developed properties; properties that define individuality through socially significant traits and actions.

In number not related to personal include: naturally determined properties that do not depend on life in society; psychological characteristics of a person in the processes of cognition or activity, not related to attitudes towards people.

The genius of Russian and world literature L.N. Tolstoy is famous for the creation and masterly description of many bright and colorful characters - personalities. Literary heroes Tolstoy, acting in different life situations, manifest their personal traits from high to low, evoking in the reader a wide range of feelings and relationships.

Along with the concept of “personality,” management psychology operates with such terms as “person,” “individual,” and “individuality.” The relationship between these concepts is presented in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1 – Correlation of concepts

Human– this is the most voluminous (broad) concept. It is generic and includes a genetic predisposition to the development of physiological qualities and mental properties inherent in the individual. In the process of work and communication, a person develops specific abilities.

How Living being, man is subject to basic natural laws (physiological), and as a social being – to the laws of social development.

Individual– the concept is narrower than “person”, but it is broader than the category “personality”. The individual is considered as a single representative of the species homo sapiens. An individual contains both morphological characteristics (height, bodily constitution, hair color, eyes) and psychological ones (character, temperament).

Individuality- a specific concept that permeates the terms “man” and “individual”. It is understood as the unity of the unique personal properties of a particular person. Individuality reflects the psychophysical structure of a person: physical and mental characteristics, temperament and character, intelligence and worldview, life experience.

The concept of “individuality” is multifaceted. However, it primarily denotes the psychological (spiritual) qualities of a person. The essence of individuality is manifested in a person’s ability to remain himself in any situation, to be independent and independent.

Formation of individuality occurs during the individualization of a person. Individualization is the process of self-identification and self-separation of an individual, his separation from the community, the design of his uniqueness and originality.

Personality formation can be considered as a process internal development person and his entry into society. This process includes a person’s mastery of his national and tribal essence. The formation of personality is associated with the individual’s acceptance of social roles, functions, norms and rules of behavior developed in society. At the same time, skills for building relationships with other people are formed.

Formed personality is the subject of independent, free and responsible behavior in society, as well as individual life activity.

The inner world of the individual macrostructural relation can be represented in the form of three psychological spheres: directionality, operational and modulation. The spheres operate at two levels: the master and the service. The spheres are interconnected and are in a certain subordination. The macrostructure of the individual’s inner world is presented in Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2 – Macrostructure of the inner world of the individual

Sphere of focus includes all the internal motivating forces of the individual: views, beliefs, ideals, needs, interests, goals, life plans, inclinations, attitudes, and more. It determines the selective direction of activity and relationships of the individual, involving in them the flows of mental processes: attention, perception, thinking, arising in other mental spheres.

The sphere of focus influences the degree, nature and method of using the opportunities available to the individual. She is responsible for what a person lives for, what attracts him, what he strives for, where he puts his strength, what he achieves.

The sphere of orientation has a system-forming, setting, priority role in mental activity. It characterizes personality to the greatest extent.

Operational area includes methods and means, as elements of the psyche, that a person possesses. Methods and means are used to achieve goals determined by the scope of focus.

A personality is characterized by what it does. In addition, what is important is how she does it, in what ways she achieves her goal, and by what means she satisfies her needs. This is the social significance of the operational sphere.

Modulation sphere does not define goals or methods. But it has a dynamic influence on their manifestations. Therefore, this area is sometimes called psychophysiological.

The dynamic influence of the modulation sphere is manifested in varying degrees of mobility, speed, flexibility, consistency, emotional coloring of all mental processes and states. In the hierarchy of spheres, the modulation sphere is the lowest, serving. Her social role is minimal.

Based on the essence of the concept of “personality”, its structure can be established. It should include properties that are relatively stable, developed during human life, and have social significance.

Personality structure is a set of internal properties and qualities of an individual in their interrelation.

The structure is complex education. It includes two groups of personality properties (qualities).

The first group of personality properties is given from nature, and then a person develops (improves) them in the course of his life. These are abilities, character and temperament.

The second is personal properties that are not given by nature, but are purchased in the course of human life and socialization. These are motives, will and emotions. The two groups together make up the personality structure (Figure 3.3).

Figure 3.3 – Personality structure

To the question "Who am I?" each of us will most likely answer: “a person, a full member of society, a personality,” so it is not surprising that many people are interested in learning more about what elements are components of personality, without what traits and properties an individual will not exist as a full-fledged person in the sociocultural society, how the process of personality formation itself occurs. Personality - basic concept in psychology; Without a detailed study of its structure and mechanisms of formation, further psychological and sociological research is impossible.

Psychologists define personality as a stable structure of socially significant traits that characterize a person as a member of a particular society. Based on the definition, we can conclude that the process of an individual’s formation as a personality is impossible in isolation from society, and all personality traits and substructures are formed and developed under the influence of society. The structure of personality in psychology has been carefully studied and described by world-famous specialists, and despite the fact that some famous sociologists, psychologists and psychiatrists disagreed about the basic properties and characteristics of personality, there are several generally accepted divisions and classifications of structure elements.

Psychological structure of personality

All personality substructures are inherent in every person living in a sociocultural society, but in different individuals they are at different levels of development. One of the main tasks that psychologists set for themselves when studying the constituent structures is to determine the mechanisms of development and correction of one or another substructure. One of the most complete and detailed descriptions of personality structure in psychology includes 10 substructures, the main of which are worldview, experience, orientation, and character. Let's look at all the substructures in more detail.

Worldview

Worldview is an individual’s subjective perception of the world around him, all current events, and the designation of his place in the world. As a rule, worldview is the result of passing the information received through the prism of one’s own experience and evaluating the external world according to internal criteria. Psychologists consider the most important component of this element of the structure to be the formation of the “I-concept” - the definition of oneself in outside world and in its individual manifestations. The worldview can be pessimistic, optimistic, realistic, mystical, atheistic, idealistic, male, female, childish, but it is impossible to unambiguously classify people’s worldview according to any criteria - each person sees and perceives the reality around him in his own way.

Experience

Experience is the most important component of the personality structure in psychology, which is the totality of habits, skills, knowledge and abilities accumulated in the process of life and development, as well as acquired during one’s stay in society. In the process of accumulating experience, a certain lifestyle is formed. As a rule, the worldview, horizons, breadth of a person’s thinking and the certainty of a person’s orientation depend on the amount of accumulated experience.

Focus

The orientation of a person is the values, aspirations, and guidelines of a person. Realization of oneself in professional activities, search for a place in life, embodiment of dreams and desires, adherence to certain moral and ethical rules and norms - all these are the orientations of the individual. Based on criteria such as a person’s ability to set goals for himself independently and without outside assistance, the breadth, stability, and effectiveness of an individual’s orientation, and the degree of influence of society on the formation of his aspirations, the general level of personal development is determined.

Character

Psychologists also call character a psychotype - a set of stable characteristics of a person’s behavior under certain circumstances and his reactions to any situations. As a rule, by the concept of “character,” psychologists mean the most typical personality traits, manifested in the form of a subjective response to objective circumstances; very often character is described by one keyword- explosive or calm, decisive or suspicious, impulsive or reasonable, etc.

Temperament

Temperament is a combination of stable personality traits associated with dynamic aspects of activity and determining the type of higher nervous activity of a person. Psychologists distinguish four main types of temperament, which are based on the strength and balance of the processes of excitation and inhibition of the nervous system. The most common classification of temperament types is the identification of four types: sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic.

Capabilities

The main abilities of every person are volitional, mental, spiritual and physical; also, all people, to one degree or another, have a number of other abilities - musical, mathematical, artistic, etc. Abilities as a component of the structure are one of the most important tools of the individual, because the more developed the abilities, the more integrated the person is into society and the more he can do something useful for society and yourself.

Cognitive sphere

The cognitive sphere includes all components of the psyche and mind aimed at rational cognition and perception of the world - logical thinking, memory, attention, critical and analytical perception, decision making, etc.

Affective sphere

This area, as opposed to the cognitive one, consists of processes related to emotions, feelings, needs and motivation. This area includes psychological processes that cannot be explained from a rational point of view - impulsive reactions, emotions, feelings, desires, predispositions, experiences, worries, intuition, hidden motives, subjective impressions, etc.

Consciousness and subconsciousness

The structure of personality in psychology also includes all manifestations of consciousness, subconscious and unconscious psychological processes. Consciousness includes all conscious and mind-controlled processes and mental activities, and the unconscious includes those psychic phenomena and processes that occur without conscious control. Psychological processes take place in the subconscious, which have a certain logic, but are not amenable to conscious control.

Body drawing

Body image is a substructure of personality, which includes the structure of the body, facial expressions characteristic of a person, habitual gestures, manner of speaking, gait, etc. Body image is defined as a substructure of personality for the reason that many psychologists are of the opinion that there is a connection between the structure body and character of a person. (You can read more about the connection between gestures and facial expressions and psychological processes in the article)

Personality structure in psychology is a holistic system personal qualities and properties, which fully and comprehensively characterizes all the psychological characteristics of an individual. In addition to the elements described above, the personality structure includes many other components - self-esteem, values, willpower, etc. The strength of influence of the physiological, emotional and cognitive components is determined by the level of development the personality is at. In highly developed individuals with a broad worldview, strong will and personality orientation, as well as developed abilities, as a rule, conscious and cognitive components based on own experience, take precedence over unconscious manifestations, instincts, emotions and temperament.

The phenomenon of personality is too complex to give it an unambiguous definition. It can be considered as a social subject or a chain of psychological connections. The value of understanding what a personality is is that it helps you better understand yourself, study your abilities, motivation, and temperament. Allows you to learn how to apply the acquired knowledge in practice, building relationships with other people.

What is personality

Personality is a set of individual social and psychological properties of character and behavior. There are certain properties, structure and types of personality. They differ because each classification method is based on the research and points of view of different scientists in the field of psychology and sociology. They are united only by certain properties that help to “draw” a social and psychological portrait of an individual.

. An important component that demonstrates the attitude towards the world, others, life, determines behavior and shapes views.
. In accordance with this characteristic, there is a division into personality types: melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine. Each of them has their own reactions to life circumstances and their perception.
Motivation. A person may have several motives that determine his actions and come from his needs. They are the driving force; the stronger the motivation, the more purposeful the person.
. There are strong-willed, mental, physical, spiritual, etc. They are the basis for achievements and achieving goals. But a person does not always manage them skillfully.
Emotionality. Shows how a person expresses his attitude to a situation, people, events.
Focus. The ability to define values and goals and move towards their achievement. It is a collection of things, tangible and intangible, that are truly dear to a person.
Worldview. Outlook on life, vision of the world, attitude towards them. It can be realistic, mystical, feminine, masculine, positive, negative.
Experience. Knowledge and skills acquired throughout life that have shaped their worldview and habits.
Body drawing. External expression of personality characteristics: gait, facial expressions, gestures, stooping or an attempt to keep your back straight, etc.

Social structure of personality

Sociology defines the structure of personality as a set of objective and subjective properties that form its detail, depending on society.

There are 2 approaches, each of which has its own important components:

Activity, culture, memory. Activity involves conscious actions in relation to an object or subject. Culture concerns the social norms that weigh on an individual's actions. Memory is a storehouse of knowledge formed into experience.
Value orientations, social roles, culture. This trio reflects character traits acquired through interaction with subjects of society, instilled by parents, inherited, formed by life experience.

Personality structure

The psychological structure of personality mainly consists of the following components:

Focus. Needs, attitudes, interests. It happens that in a person only one of the components is leading, and the rest are less developed. For example, a person has a need for work, but this does not mean that he will be interested in it. For direction to work, in this case a financial motive may be sufficient.
Capabilities. This component influences the previous one. For example, an individual has the ability to draw, this generates interest, which is the leading component of direction and motivation for development in this area.
Character. The most important component, sometimes a person is judged by it, and not by his orientation or abilities. For example, a person with a bad and difficult character will find it difficult to integrate into society, even if he has phenomenal abilities in some area.
Self-control. Determines the ability to plan behavior, transform, and correct actions.

Personality structure according to Freud

The personality structure proposed by Freud has the following components:

It. The unconscious part that gives rise to desires, internal instincts, libido. A component based on biological attraction, driven by the desire for pleasure. If there is tension, you can relieve it through fantasies and reflex actions. Unfulfilled desires often result in problems in social life.
Ego. Consciousness that controls It. The ego is responsible for satisfying the desires of the id. But this happens after the circumstances are analyzed; the implementation of the desired should not contradict social norms.
Superego. A set of moral and ethical principles and taboos that influence human behavior. They arise in childhood (3–5 years), during the period when parents pay the greatest attention to raising their children. These rules are fixed in the child's orientation, and later supplemented by their own norms, which they acquire in life experience.

The three components must develop equally; if one of them is more active, the balance is disrupted. The balanced work of three components allows us to develop a protective mechanism:

Negation. Causes suppression of impulses coming from within.
Projection. When a person attributes his negative traits to other people.
Substitution. When an unreachable object is replaced with one that is accessible.
Rationalization. A person is able to logically explain his actions.
Formation of reaction. Committing actions that are opposite to internal impulses that a person considers forbidden.

Freud also identified the Electra and Oedipus complexes. Children unconsciously view one of the parents as a sexual partner, feeling jealous of the other. Girls see a threat in their mother, boys in their father.

Personality structure according to Rubinstein

Rubinstein called 3 components of the structure:

Focus. It includes beliefs, motivation, needs, worldview, and behavioral factors. Expresses social essence, determines the type of activity.
Skills, knowledge. Funds obtained through knowledge and objective activity. Knowledge helps you navigate the world, skills allow you to engage in specific activities, skills help you achieve results.
Typological properties. This includes temperament, character, and abilities that make a person unique.

In addition, Rubinstein identified levels of organization:

Vital. Includes experience, morality, worldview.
Personal. Individual character traits.
Mental. Psychological processes, specificity, activity.

Rubinstein believed that the formation of personality occurs through interaction with society and the world as a whole. The structure of personality orientation consists of conscious actions and the subconscious.

Personality structure according to Jung

Jung identified the following components:

consciousness;
collective unconscious;
individual unconscious.

Consciousness is divided into the human I (person), shown to others, and the Ego, the real essence of a person. Persona helps to socialize. It is a mask that a person wears to come into contact with other individuals. This allows you to make an impression and attract attention. Makes you buy fashionable things expensive cars, large houses to fit and fit into a certain segment of society.

The ego is a core formed from experiences, thoughts, awareness of one’s actions and decisions. This is experience, knowledge, skills. Thanks to the Ego, a person is a complete person.

The individual unconscious is formed from thoughts, beliefs, experiences, desires. Previously, they were relevant for a person, but after he experienced them, they turned into memories. They are stored in the unconscious, sometimes they come out. They are divided into archetypes:

Shadow. A kind of dark twin. These are vicious desires, negative feelings, immoral thoughts that a person suppresses because he is afraid to face them openly. Jung believed that repressing the dark side is harmful, you need to accept it and consider your good traits against its background.
Anima and animus. Masculine and feminine principles. Animus gives women masculine traits– strength of will; anima gives men the opportunity to sometimes be weak - to show softness. Jung explained this by the presence of male and female hormones in opposite sexes. The presence of the concepts of anima and animus makes it possible for women and men to better understand each other.
Self. Jung called it the core that forms integrity. The self develops only with the balanced development of all components of the structure.

Personality structure according to Leontiev

A. N. Leontyev defines personality as experience, a set of actions, decisions. He divided the personality structure into levels:

Psychophysical prerequisites. This includes temperament and inclinations that can develop into abilities.
Expressive-instrumental. Roles, character, abilities. This is the outer shell of a person through which he interacts with the world.
Inner world. Values, meaning, relationships. This is a person’s view of the world through the prism of his own opinion about it.
Existential level. Includes freedom, spirituality, responsibility.

Leontyev singled out in his theory the concept of “rebirth of personality.” It occurs when a person adjusts his behavior, finding new methods of solving conflict and difficult situations.

Personality structure according to Platonov

K.K. Platonov built a pyramidal personality structure, which has four substructures (from the foundation to the top):

Biological conditioning. Genetics and physiology. This includes age, gender.
Display forms. Thinking, attention, memory, perception, sensations. The more developed they are, the wider a person’s capabilities.
Social experience. Skills, abilities, knowledge acquired through experience.
Directionality. Worldview, aspirations, beliefs, ideals.

Socionic personality types in psychology

Socionics is a concept developed by Aushra Augustinaviciute, based on the personality types proposed by Jung. Different sources contain different designations; they can be roughly divided into the following groups.

Analysts:

INTJ is a strategist. He has a rich imagination, he always has a plan for the next Saturday, and for 20 years in advance.
INTP is a scientist. Creativity and ingenuity are their strong point. They believe in science, they believe that it can explain everything.
ENTJ – commander. Resourcefulness, courage, fortitude are the strong traits of such people. They always find a solution to a problem.
ENTP is a polemicist. Curious thinkers sharp mind. They are happy to get into arguments.

Diplomats:

INFJ is an activist. Idealistic, sometimes vindictive, usually quiet, but inspiring.
INFP is a mediator. Altruists who can come to the rescue at any moment.
ENFJ is a coach. They have unusual charisma, natural leadership qualities, and can inspire and charm.
ENFP is a fighter. More sociable, creative, imaginative, optimistic, enthusiastic.

Guardians:

ISTJ is an administrator. They perceive only facts and are reliable.
ISFJ is a protector. They have high responsibility and will help loved ones.
ESTJ is a manager. Such people can easily manage the masses; they are skilled administrators.
ENFJ – consul. Sociable, popular, love to take care of others.

Seekers:

ISTP is a virtuoso. They are characterized by courage, a desire for experimentation, and jacks of all trades.
ISFP is an artist. They have a subtle charm and are ready to rush into search and study of the unknown.
ESTP is a go-getter. They are receptive, their energy is in full swing, they like to take risks, they are smart.
ESFP is an entertainer. You won’t get bored with such a person, they are always cheerful, love spontaneous actions and surprises.

To quickly understand a person, it is enough to take his personality apart. Theories about its structure and types help with this. This information helps build business and personal connections.